Aside from all the excitement and fun of watching people race bikes, as a race promoter, the really neat thing is on occasion you do get to meet some really special people. I've been lucky and this past year I've met more than a few.

Recently I had the opportunity to discuss the really cool stuff that Tracey Pearson has created and is with Prissy Tomboy (link) "Our mission is to create a lifestyle brand that promotes athleticism and a place for girls to feel empowered, recognized, and supported through sports. " Yup, that's pretty cool in our books. Getting young minds off of the couch and disconnect from technology and reconnect with, well being a kid! -Rings true as aren't we all big kids playing on bikes?

The Prissy Tomboy Ambassador program was created by Tracey Pearson to actually breathe some life into her mission statement:The Prissy Tomboy Ambassador mentoring program educates young athletes on the importance of staying in sports to fulfill their potential and strengths. We share stories of female athletes to inspire and give recognition to their accomplishments with the goal of establishing new healthy role models for girls to aspire to.

Which leads us to this exciting announcement, with a little history for context. The other person who has become especially dear to us is little Ms. Eleanor Israel, or "Little E" as we affectionately refer to her.

Long story short - sometime before the 2013 Cedar Hill, our event team had invited folks from the cycling community to join us for an open course day, hot laps at the park if you will. No one really showed-up that day except for Little E and her Dad.

E (9 years old at the time) asked if she could tag along as she was new to cycling but had in fact completed a couple of junior triathlons. We immediately fell in love with this little girl's passion and were thrilled when she did in fact complete the 2013 Cedar Hill Criterium, racing for Trace Bikes, as her first competitive road event.

Fast-forward - since then Little E has gone on to get "curved" handle-bars for her road bike (she did Cedar Hill w/bar ends), fully embracing the sport and completing more than #35 events for 2013!

We're awful proud of Little E and see bright things in her future as a young lady, who knows, maybe a great sports doctor one day, or even the next President of the United States. We're convinced she can do whatever she wants if she puts her mind to it. The sky's the limit for this young lady and there is no doubt that if she keeps racing bikes, she'll be great at that too!